Whomever took over the PR for Aldi and Specsavers are at the top of their game, Remember when both of these brands we considered naff? The marketing svengali’s harnessed that widespread resistance and made the naff-ness part of the appeal. Aldi took on the hallowed food halls at Marks & Spencers with their version of Colin the Caterpillar cake, Cuthbert , Prompting legal action from M&S and sending their customer reach over 100million. Specsavers also decided that silly was the best way to the customers hearts and proceeded to poke light-hearted fun at poor eyesight whilst their recent “I don't go to specsavers” campaign delivered almost £20 million in sales.
Thankfully Second hand retail has had the same glow-up, Once upon a time when shopping second hand there were only two options available at opposing ends of the spectrum. At the higher priced end was Vintage, Quite often sold in Antique furniture shops giving it a musty aroma and consisting of victorian lace, 50s dresses and a smattering of furs and at the other end unedited charity shops filled with cast offs.
Ebay pioneered online reselling but it didn't quite hit the mark for fashion re-sale, But it did pave the way for fashion focused re-sale platforms such as Vinted and Depop who whilst extremely popular with Gen Z and Younger Millennials it opened up a gap for more curated second hand website for women who don't have the time, inclination or interest in scouring resale platforms and this is where I believe the revolution started.
Previously shopping second hand or to give its more modern name “pre loved” wasn't a pleasant experience, It required imagination because often the clothes were flat on the floor or photographed in a poor light so you couldn't make out the details or see bobbles on knitwear and pulls on silk. And it comes with buyers risk, Resale platforms don't require the seller to offer refunds so if the item isn't in a good condition as you expected or simply doesn't fit you are stuck with it and need to sell on or simply give it away.
A whole raft of websites dedicated to selling curated pre loved and vintage clothes now exists, Curated simply meaning they have done the leg work for you, Ensured its in good condition, laundered and photographed it for you, And websites are bound by the same rules as stores, You have a 14 day right to return without a reason so you have a cushion but I will caveat that by reminding you that returns are brutal for small businesses so I would advise asking them as many question about sizing and fabric and even asking for more images before buying.
Little Black Look, Curate & Rotate, Sylk,, Stix Styled, The Preloved Atelier, The Curatory, The Hosta and Cherry Picked Designer.
Here are a handful to get you started, They include everything from contemporary to designer, womenswear and handbags. It's second hand that's second to none.
